Apparatus for charging acetylene cylinders



May 12, 1942. S. STARK 2,282,346

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING ACETYLENE CYLINDERS Filed Aug. :51, 1938 INVENTOR STEPHAN STARK ATTORN EY Patented May 12, 1942 r APPARATUS FOR CHARGING ACETYLENE CYLINDERS Stephan Stark, Grunwald, near Munich, I Bavaria, Germany Application August 31, 1938, Serial No. 227,704

In Germany September 2,1937

4 Claims. (01. 226-20) This invention relates to an apparatus for charging acetylene cylinders, and more particularly to an apparatus for reducing the frequency of acetone addition .when charging acetylene cylinders. V

The storage and shipment of acetylene in compressed form in steel cylinders is accomplished by dissolving the acetylene in acetone which is absorbed by a porous mass with which the steel cylinder is filled.

Acetone is continually lost during the withdrawal f the acetylene from the cylinder. A part of the acetone evaporates in accordance with its partial pressure and is carried along with the acetylene, that is, as the pressure within the cylinder falls during the discharge, the proportion of acetone vapor in the acetylene delivered is initially quite low but increases to' a maximum called empty cylinders are filled with acetylene which is loaded with acetone vapors. The process is carried out, for example, by providing a device built into the line between the compressor and the filling rack for acetylenecylinders which device is arranged to load the gas flowing to the cylinders with acetone vapors. The gas may be charged with acetone, for example, in a trickle tower in which the gas enters at the bottom and wherein acetone is introduced at the top. Another procedure for carrying out the process consists therein that the gas is conductwhen the pressure in the cylinder reaches its lowest value at which the cylinder becomes empty' of its usable gas content and must be recharged; part-of it, however,particularly with too rapid withdrawal of the gas-may also be carried along mechanically. In any event, acetone must be added to compressed acetylene cylinders in order to replace the acetone losses These and other objects of this invention and the novel features thereof which achieve these objects will become evident from the following description having reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view partly in section of an apparatuus embodying the principles of this invention and adapted to add acetone to the compressed acetylene charged into cylinders; and Y Fig, 2 is a diagrammatic fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of another embodiment of the apparatus.

Acetone is the solvent most commonly employed in acetylene cylinders. However, other solvents for the gas could be employed and where the term acetone appears in the specification and ed through a bubbler vessel containing acetone.

Since it is particularly advantageous to keep the cross sectional area and volume of the gas space at a low value, a suitable apparatus is, one comprising a tubular coil inserted in the compressor discharge line into which liquid acetone is sprayed in a finely divided state by means of a pump and a nozzle (similarto the fuel pumps and nozzles utilized in Diesel engines). The acetone is thereby atomized and evaporated into vapors and taken up by the acetylene. The excess part of the acetone which is not evaporated is'trapped in a suitable separator and again conducted to the pump.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown generally at 10 an acetylene compressor, at H a moisture trap, at l2 an acetone, vaporizer,.and at IS a cylinder charging rack. The compressor I0 is of the cus- .tomarytype and may have two stages I4 and I5 and an intercooler I6 connecting the discharge valves of the first stage'with the inlet valve of the second stage. 7 The cylinders and intercooler maybe submerged in cooling water contained in the box Acetylene at low pressure from a gas holder, or generator enters the compressor through pipe l8. The compressed acetylene customarily contains excess water'vapor which "is preferably removed. Lubricant also tends to be carried over from the compressor and is preferably removed. To this end a moisture trap H is provided'that may comprise a cooling coil 20 receiving gas from the compressor through conduit 9. The moisture condensed in coil 20 is separated in a trap 2| into which the coil 20 discharges. The trap 2| is provided with a drain valve 22 and both trap 2| and coil 20 are subwhich depends .29!;

. thereto with acetone.

cylinders the pump may or sump of .thetrap 39 by conduit 43 and the-:-

passage of gas until the pressure in the trap exceeds a set value providing efllcient moisture removal. is then passed through the acetone vaporizer l2 which, in the embodiment-illustrated in Fig. 1,

7 comprises a bubbler chamber 26 containing acetone whose level may be indicated by a gauge 1 glass 21. The acetylene is conducted below the surface of the acetone in chamber 28 and bubbles therethrough' and after the acetone is'saturated with acetylene the rated and carried by th acetylene in an amount sure'of the/acetylene. v 7 ing acetone vapor passe through a trap 28 for removing any acetone mechanically carried along through the connection 29. The acetone col-- lected by. trap 23 flows back into chamber 26 tone tothe vaporizer a valved connection '3'llis provided.

the manifold 35 from trap 28 by the pipeline 36.

over to, or be deposited by, pipe line 36 or manifold 35 because such liquid may pass into the first cylinder connection it reaches and thus overload the cylinder connected should be maintained in the .vapor state. Hence manifold 35 warmer than the vaporizer, I2. The temperature of the vaporizer suitable means, such as heating jackets contain-. ing warm water or can be exactly regulated. Referring to Fig.

of a pipe coil 39. The lower end of the coil 38 connects to a trap 39 which may contain pieces of solid material or a porous flllingto reducejthe size of thegas spaces. Through the remaining opening of the T 31 is inserted a spray nozzle Ml supplied with acetoneunder pressure by conduit ll. The acetone is supplied at relatively which may be of a variety similar to those employed in Diesel eng'nes for pumping measured amounts of fuel oil. For'example, the pump 42 means for accurately vary-V ing the rate of discharge so that the addition of may be provided with acetone to the gas may be controlled in accordance withethe average acetone deficiency of the V on the, rack l3. The suction valve of be connected to the lower end acetone-necessary to maintain a liquid level-in the sump "may be added through connection The level in the sump of trap 39 maybe measured by a gauge glass 45. y 7 v The apparatus 91, Fig.v 2 mayfbe operated so that onl -enough ac'etone'is pizmned-h the-pump 42 to completely. evaporate in coil 33, inwhich event the exact amount of acetone added to the acetylene is controllable by regulating the pump output,or an excess may be pumped into the coil 38 so thatthe excessis removed .by the trap 39 and in this event the amount of acetone added The compressed and partly dried gas through the lower connection 39. To-add ace- The acetone, therefore,

it is preferable to maintain the pipe line 36 and,

, steam, and thereby the 7 amount of V acetone vaporized into the acetylene 2, the'compressed and dried acetyleneis conducted'by conduit 25 to the side opening of a T connection 3'l'at the upperend high pressure to -conduitzll by' a'force pump 42;

I to be controlled by'regulating the temperature of the gas and trap 39, as, for example, by

I heating the coil 38 bywarm water passed through jacket 38 around coil 38.

The quantity of acetone which is taken up by. V

the pressure and the acetylene depends upon temperature of the acetylene. Inasmuch as the 3 maximum filling pressure acetone will be evapo- 1 st n P 1 lane contains Thecylinders 33 to be charged are connected by flexible connections .3! to a charging rack manifold 35 in the customary manner. The ace- 7 tone-loaded compressed acetylene is conducted to It is important that no liquid acetone be carried condensation in the l the year, the

I2 and the ace'tylene may be maintained at any desired value by V with the acetylene, it is necessary the saturator as well as the connecting portions: o

pressure of any small .may remain in ficiency is readily. determined from such records.

The new method of operation was explained in detail above in connection with the filling of acetylene cylinders. employed in a similar manner for filling anycongases are to be dissolved under volume of acetone carried along can be regulated chiefly by effecting suitable control of the tem perature. In the event that greater quantities of acetone are to be introduced into the cylinders to suitably heat the pipe line to the cylinders.

In view of the quantity of acetylene to be charged into the cylinders and the hydraulic expansion of the cylindercontents due to normal temperature changes, they filled with acetone and there must always be a gas space. taken to insure For the above reasons, care must be that the quantity of acetone which is introduced into the'cylinders with the acetylene in accordance with the invention is smaller than, or no more than equal to the average quantity of acteone which was lost during the previous discharge of temperature of the gas during discharge is generallylower than the'ch'arging temperature due to the cooling of the cylinder by the negative for example, the cylin-' the colder months of discharge temperature may be apheat of solution. When, ders are used outdoors in preciably below the charging temperature. all these cases, care must be taken to se that the acetylene does not introduce more, but preferablyless acetone to the cylinder than was lost? during the discharge. In this manner dangerous overefillingof the cylinders with acetoneis-avoid-' ed and yet the frequency of acetone addition'is greatly reduced, The acetone deficiency in each cylinder is determined in thecustomary manner by weighing and taking into consideration the calibrated tare weight of the cylinder and the amount of residual gas that the cylinder and the average de- This method 'can be also tainer in which pressure in any type of solvent. In such cases the gas to be dissolved is loaded with the respective solvent in order to compensate for solvent losses during'thegas discharge; 7

I claim: V g

1. Apparatus for charging cylinders fordissolved acetylenewhichcomprises means for supplying compressed acetylene at a pressure .exceeding that of the ylinders to be charged; a vaporizer having a passage for conducting the compressed acetylene therethrough, said passage having relatively narrow successive'cross sectional areas; means for injecting acetone into said 7 finely divided state; a cylinder charging rack; means for conducting vapor-bearingacetylene from said vaporizer to said rack; and means for preventing acetone in the liquid state from flowing to the cylinders.

passage in a 2. Apparatus according toclaim 1 including means for controlling the temperature of said vaporizer so as to regulate the amount of acetone is generally fixed, the

can never be entirely gas from'the cylinders. This is of particular importance inasmuch as the vapor carried by the acetylene into the cylinders.

tively small volume for charging said acetylene with vapor of acetone; means for constantly flowing said compressed acetylene through said washing tower in intimate contact with acetone therein; mean for supplying liquid acetone to the upper portion of said tower; means for separating from the vapor-bearin acetylene leaving said tower any entrained particles of liquid; and means for conducting said vapor-bearing acetylene into said cylinders.

STEPHAN STARK. 

